Home of the Heart
by Cold Rain
Summary: LOTS OF SPOILERS Zidane's journey back to Alexandria and Kuja's adjustment to normal life. Read & Review! Main Couple: Kuja & Blank Other Couples: Zidane & Dagger, Beatrix & Steiner, Freya & Fratley, etc.
1. Chapter 1: The Daring Escape

Home of the Heart

By: Cold Rain

Rated: PG-13 for mild violence

NOTE TO READERS: Hi, Readers! This chapter is so short... So far, the couples that I know will happen are Garnet and Zidane, Beatrix and Steiner, and Freya and Lord Fratley. This fanfic starts near the ending of the game (SPOILER ALERT, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED) when the team is escaping the Iifa Tree while Zidane stays behind. The quotes might be a little off but gimme a break, I haven't played FF IX lately. This is my 1st Final Fantasy fanfic (even though I've played the games a lot) so no flames, please! Extra spacing between paragraphs means scene/time transitions. Oh, and I don't own Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc.

DISCLAIMER: If you didn't read the Note to Readers here it is again: I don't own the Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc. I just own the fanfic.

CHAPTER 1: The "Daring" Escape

The Iifa Tree is on a rampage now; its roots flailing wildly destroying everything that moves. Eight figures run for their lives; a thief with a tail from the Tantalus troupe, the summoner princess of Alexandria, a prototype black mage created from Mist, a strange hungry creature from a swamp, a tall assassin with bright red hair, a Burmecian dragon knight, the Captain of the Pluto Knights, and a summoner from Madain Sari. The thief, Zidane, urges the motley bunch into an airship, the Hildagarde 3 but doesn't follow them in. Eiko, the small blue haired summoner from Madain Sari, hangs on the railing of the airship and yells, "Hurry up, Zidane!"

"Go on without me, I have something to take care of here!" Zidane answers as Princess Garnet, a.k.a. Dagger, looks down towards Zidane, a worried expression on her face.

"But-" Dagger starts to protest.

"Just go!" Zidane yells; it's too dangerous for them to stay.

"...Alright," Dagger frowns; the airship starts to steer away carrying the seven companions from Zidane. After they reach a safe distance, Zidane starts to dash into the Iifa Tree. The roots of the giant Mist factory swing madly at him while he desperately searches for someone. Zidane jumps over the attacking roots and finds what he's looking for. A silver haired figure lies on a platform-like area with a dejected look on his face. Zidane notices the area is surrounded by a huge gap, but that's no problem for Zidane, the amazing thief of Tantalus! He gets a running start, leaps up into the air, and... falls down. Luckily, he's able to climb up and reach his "older brother". Zidane stands up and looks at the fellow Genome, who technically looks like something the cat spit-up right now.

"Hey, there you are," Zidane smiles, "I was worried I wouldn't find you."

"Why... did you come here?" Kuja frowns; he cannot for the life of him understand how Zidane's mind works, "Why are you... risking your life... to save me?"

"It's what I do," Zidane grins widely. Kuja looks away from Zidane seemingly embarrassed that they're related.

"I finally appreciate the value of life... but it's too late for that," Kuja frowns; after all that's happened he's going to die here. Maybe he deserves it for what he did, for all the lives and homes he destroyed...

"It's never too late, now let's get out of here," Zidane suggests; then the Iifa tree's roots surround and crush them. Zidane looks around, (Whoa... It looks like I almost bit the big one this time...) Zidane looks down and notices that Kuja isn't having as much luck; he's unconscious and gasping for air, which isn't doing much since a root is crushing him and what little oxygen he's trying to collect in his lungs. Zidane desperately looks for a way to save himself and Kuja, they can't die like this! (There has to be someway out of here! Everyone is waiting for me to come back to Alexandria! Eiko, Vivi, Freya, Amarant, Quina, Rust- I mean Steiner, and Dagger... Dagger, what should I do?) Zidane closes his eyes and thinks of Dagger, she's waiting for him in the dress she wore a few days before her inauguration and she's singing their song... Zidane absentmindedly starts to hum to himself which for some reason relaxed the roots a little. (Huh? Wait a minute, this is perfect! I can reach my daggers!) Zidane smiles, grabs his right dagger, and hacks off the root that was crushing Kuja, (Well, now that he can breathe again I should concentrate on getting us out!) Then Zidane starts to hack the roots of the Iifa Tree out of the way. About an hour later he has enough room to squeeze out then drag Kuja out. (Another hurtle cleared!) Zidane smiles, (Now all I have to do is get us to civilization!)

* * *

Chapter 1 is done! Read and Review! No flames, this is my first FF IX fanfic. Advice will help, though! Tell me about the couples you'd like to see! ;3 


	2. Chapter 2: The Airship Home

Home of the Heart

By: Cold Rain

Rated: PG-13 for mild violence

NOTE TO READERS: Hi, Readers! I'm really sorry, but the fact is that I'm not a pro-Kuja/Vivi person but if you have any other suggestions for a couple then I'll consider them (just no Vivi couples, I have an idea for him). Oh, and please don't suggest Ruby, OK? Most of the other characters unless previously noted as a couple are free for it, though. Extra spacing between paragraphs means scene/time transitions. Oh, and I don't own Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc.

DISCLAIMER: If you didn't read the Note to Readers here it is again: I don't own the Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc. I just own the fanfic.

CHAPTER 2: The Airship Home

Zidane wakes up in the guest room that Cid gave him; it's been months since the final battle. Kuja has recovered and Zidane has figured out a semi-dramatic way to meet up with Dagger and the group. It's going to be time for the grand entrance soon. It's been hard to keep out of sight of Eiko, but Zidane doesn't want her to blurt out the news. The door opens quietly and Kuja walks in. "Hey, Kuja. What's up?"

"Zidane, are you sure I should sneak into Alexandria with you?" Kuja asks worriedly; he's still uneasy about the idea of meeting the group so soon after all the battles and trouble he caused.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. My friends will understand," Zidane smiles, waving off the subject, "You'll see, I know they'll accept you." Kuja brushes his silver hair out of his face and gives an annoyed look that says "Yeah right!" but then he drops the subject.

"Uh, Kuja?"

"Yes?"

"You should probably find a more, how do I put this? ...A "normal" outfit to wear?" Zidane comments; Kuja's outfit choice always did worry him. Kuja was able to repair all the rips and tears in the strange outfit so it looked like it wasn't ripped up in the first place but it still looked strange. It was still the white and purple "outfit" Kuja always wears and technically anyone could spot him from a mile away in it and still burn their retinas with disturbing images.

"Like what?"

"Um... I don't know yet... but we should find something! We'll have to go to the Theater District tomorrow to board the airship to Alexandria and you can't look like that."

* * *

"Well... This should work," Zidane smiles at the large white mass of fabric with a large red pom-pom on top.

"I refuse to be seen in this humiliating costume!" Kuja's voice emanates from the costume.

"Hey, moogles are awesome. Besides, no one will be able to tell it's you in that costume; barely anyone knows you in the first place."

"If you make me wear this in public I will personally kill you."

"No you won't."

"Trust me, I will."

"Nuh-uh."

"I will kill you."

"No you-"

"And I'll hang your entrails in the Desert Palace as a warning."

"Fine, fine, I get the picture... No moogles..."

* * *

It's now morning and Zidane and his guest are running late; Blank looks down at a little golden pocket watch, they're an hour late. In another hour the Prima Vista 2 will fly over to Alexandria for Tantalus to perform "I Want to be Your Canary", Queen Garnet Til Alexandros XVII's (what a mouthful that is to say) favorite play. Blank will be so disappointed in Zidane if he screws up now, after all the heartache the new queen has been through trying to forget the "dead" love-of-her-life. If Zidane misses this opportunity, he'll personally kill that goody-goody hero monkey. Blank looks up and notices the goody-goody hero monkey and a black-cloaked figure (Kuja) are heading towards him. "Oh, there you are right off schedule," Blank strides toward him and looks into the guest's hood, "And this must be your guest? She's cute, but what're you gonna tell Queen Garnet?"

"I-am-not-a-woman," the guest angrily states through clenched teeth; Blank jumps back, surprised at the statement.

"Oops! My bad!" Blank apologizes; this is gonna be a long trip...

"Hey!" Cinna looks down at Zidane, Blank, and the guest, "Cute girl! Where'd you find her?" I stand corrected; a really, really painfully slow trip...

* * *

Yay! I love this chapter, please read it! :P Oh, and review! Give some more couple suggestions!


	3. Chapter 3: A Shocking Reunion

Home of the Heart

By: Cold Rain

Rated: PG-13 for mild violence

NOTE TO READERS: Hi, Readers! Alright! Chapter 3! A friend helped me decide that Kuja/Blank would be the safest way to go. Sorry different couple fans! Extra spacing between paragraphs means scene/time transitions. Oh, and I don't own Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc.

DISCLAIMER: If you didn't read the Note to Readers here it is again: I don't own the Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc. I just own the fanfic.

CHAPTER 3: A Shocking Reunion

Kuja's POV

I sit in a shabby room in the airship to Alexandria. By now, just about everyone has figured out that I'm male; I don't understand why they always think I'm a woman. Hm? Someone is having a conversation on the other side of the door... "No, you go check on him," it sounds like that idiot, Baku.

"Why me?" that must be the redhead, Blank.

"Because I'm the leader here and I told you to!"

"No way, I called him a 'she'. That was so embarrassing!" Not as embarrassing as some of the other comments I got.

"So!? I said he has a flat chest for a girl!" Does he have to yell that? And how could he tell what my chest looks like!? I'm still wearing the cloak!

"Fine, I'll go. Just stop with the disturbing images, alright?" Blank walks towards the door and taps on it, "Um, hey, how are you doing in there?"

"I'm doing fine," I reply.

"Cool we'll be docking in Alexandria soon."

"I'll be ready."

"Good, well, anyway I'm gonna practice my lines now. I don't want to be the one that screws this up."

"Of course," I actually forgot their troupe acted in the play last year, that ugly Queen Brahne was furious that they kidnapped Garnet. I've heard that Zidane and Blank did an amazing sword fighting scene as well, "Hm, what's the saying? Ah yes: break a leg."

"I'm so nervous I'd rather have a real broken leg, but thanks." I hear heavy footsteps as he walks away while rehearsing his lines, "Bereft of mother. Bereft of father..." I hear another pair of footsteps nearby.

"Hey, I've heard there's a cute girl here." Not again...

"No Marcus, he's male," Blank replies; thank you, Blank! I was so worried that another idiot would try to flirt with me.

"Oh, too bad."

* * *

...Huh? Who's shaking me? I want to sleep... "Get up ya lazy varmint!"

"What?" I look up to see a glaring girl with strange hair, purple lipstick, and the strangest accent I've ever heard.

"Blank sent me ta wake ya up. Why does he always waste my time makin' me do stuff like this, anyway!?"

"Who are you?" I ask while getting up.

"M' name's Ruby, I'm a former member of Tantalus; or at least until they left me in Alexandria 'bout a year ago where I have partial ownership of a popular mini-theater now. Anyway, Zidane told me ta tell ya ta get ready ta see everyone and now that I've told ya, I'm gonna watch the play."

"Um, alright. Can you show me to the backstage area of the airship?"

"Fine, this way."

"Just a second." I take off the cloak.

"Whut in tarnation!?"

"...What did you just sa-"

"You're a man!?" That's it! I've had it with everyone thinking I'm female!

"Um, yes, I am."

"...OK, just checkin'." I follow her over to the backstage area then she runs off to watch the rest of the play with the audience. I see that the entire group with the exception of Zidane is there. This will be strange reunion. Hm, there's Zidane and there goes the cloak he was hiding in.

* * *

Normal POV

The cloak starts to float away in the wind as the group all stands up in shock from seeing their "dead" friend right in front of them. Tears start to fill Garnet's brown eyes as she looks down and whispers, "Zidane, it's you... It's really you..." and immediately dashes down from the balcony and towards the airship's stage. As she makes her way through the confused audience, someone bumps into her and the royal pendant flings off onto the ground. She stops a moment to look at where the pendant fell and then runs the rest of the way to Zidane without looking back. Zidane holds her and she immediately starts to pound her fist on his chest; how could he let them think he was dead like that!? The rest of the group, even Steiner, runs up to the stage to see their friend.

"Zidane!? How could you let us worry like that," Eiko scowls; her hands on her hips as she scolds, "Queen Garnet was so worried about you!"

"It's good to see you again, though," Vivi adds, "Don't leave us to worry again."

"You blasted monkey," Steiner smiles, "Maybe the queen will smile more often now."

"Good to see you too, Rusty."

"R-Rusty!?"

"Idiot, we thought you were dead," Amarant states to Zidane.

"Indeed. It's good to see we were wrong," Freya smiles.

"You stay and try Quina's cooking, Quina royal chef now," Quina, um, sticks out his/her tongue (which it perpetually does anyway, so whatever).

"Here," Beatrix says holding up the pendant to Garnet, "You should be more careful with this."

"Ooh! Someone is in trou-ble!" Zidane sings mockingly.

"Not in as much trouble as you," Beatrix retorts, noticing a silver haired figure watching them.

"Hm?" Garnet looks over at where Beatrix is glaring and starts to glare too, "Zidane... Do you have an explanation for this?"

"Um... maybe?" Zidane looks over at Kuja, "Hey, come over here. We've been found out." Kuja hesitantly walks towards the glaring group.

"Um, nice to see you again?" he bows to Garnet who glares at Zidane as if to say "if I weren't a queen that was taught better I would whack Kuja on the head right about now".

Amarant picks Eiko up by the wing ornaments while she flails her arms and legs screaming, "Lemme at him, I'll kill him!"

"No, Eiko," Amarant says, secretly glaring at Kuja.

"Yes," Freya frowns, "He's Zidane's..." She shudders, "Friend."

* * *

Alright, Chapter 3! Read & review, I'm begging you! No Spanish, por favor. I don't know much Spanish.


	4. Chapter 4: A Party to Remember

Home of the Heart

By: Cold Rain

Rated: PG-13 for mild violence

NOTE TO READERS: Hi, Readers! I'm in this chappie! I'm Kim, the girl in the moogle costume. My friends Brianna (the girl dressed as a chocobo with a speech impediment) and Alicia (the girl in armor) are there, too! Extra spacing between paragraphs means scene/time transitions. Oh, and I don't own Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc.

DISCLAIMER: If you didn't read the Note to Readers here it is again: I don't own the Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc. I just own the fanfic.

CHAPTER 4: A Party to Remember

-Vague Flashback-

Everyone except Kuja was in Queen Garnet's room. After hearing Zidane's side of the story they decided to give Kuja a chance. The next night, Garnet would host a costume party to celebrate Zidane's return; if Kuja behaves, he can stay in Alexandria.

* * *

-The Present (Party Time)-

It's finally time for the costume ball and everyone has on great outfits. Zidane, in a purple jester costume, runs around the ballroom looking at the amazing costumes. Kuja, however, is not amused. He's dressed up like Zidane usually is and he starts to think, (Why am I even at this party? I hate costumes...) His cold blue eyes scan the room with contempt until he notices Blank dressed up as a noble in red which really brings out the green in his eyes which are, for tonight, uncovered. Kuja looks amazed, (Hm, he looks good... And I never knew his eyes were green...) Zidane walks over to Kuja, who is now drooling in admiration, and follows his gaze.

"Oh, I get it..." Zidane smiles with mischief, "You think one of those girls are cute." You see, Kuja's eyes are still plastered to the exact spot where he initially saw Blank. There are now two girls standing in that area. The first girl is short, a brunette, and has blue eyes; she's wearing a moogle costume. The second girl is slightly taller, also a brunette, and has brown eyes; she's wearing a chocobo costume with a red vest. Zidane pats Kuja on the back, "Don't worry, I'll talk to them for you." Then he walks over to the girls.

Kuja then snaps back into reality and looks around, "What happened?"

"Hello, ladies!" Zidane waves at them.

"Hi," the blue-eyed girl smiles, "My name is Kim and this is m friend, Brianna."

"Farp!" Brianna smiles.

"Huh?" Zidane stares.

"I'm a chocobo with a speech impediment!" Brianna states, "Farp!"

"Um, OK..." Zidane looks toward Kuja, "You see that guy over there?" The girls lean over and look.

"Yep, I see him," Kim says.

"The one with the silver hair?" Brianna asks.

"Yeah, that's him. I think he likes one of you," Zidane says, "Either of you like him?"

"Well, I don't think-" Kim is cut off by the fact that Zidane is kneeling behind her and Brianna to look up their skirts, "Waahhh! Pervert!" WHAP! Zidane looks up at his attacker, Garnet, who is dressed up like Ruby.

"Owwie..." Zidane whimpers, "Dagger, I though you wuved me."

"I do love you," Garnet smiles, "If I didn't, I would've let them hit you."

"Yay! He's so cute!" a blue-eyed blonde in armor squeals, hugging Blank. She looks up at him, "My name's Alicia! What's yours?" Everyone stares at her in silence.

"Hi, Alicia!" Kim waves.

"Farp!" Brianna waves, too. The "Farp!" in this case either means "Hi!" or "You have a death wish!" because Kuja has been provoked into Trance. His hair fades from silver to bright red as the radiating light around him dies out. Alicia receives an icy blare from Kuja.

"Get away from him," Kuja glowers scornfully.

"Huh?" Blank gawks at the sight of the furious Genome while Alicia hides behind him, "Uh, what's going on?"

"I'll only say this one more time..." Kuja threatens, "Get away from him." Alicia is too scared to move; she has a deer-caught-in-the-headlights-of-a-car (if those actually existed) look on her face. Kuja smirks, "Time's up." He slowly walks over to Blank and Alicia.

"Hey," Blank stands in front of Kuja, "What's your problem? I didn't want to get hugged but it's not like she hurt me."

"Well I-"

"No, don't explain while I'm talking, Kuja. Don't start a fight, OK?"

"O-of course," Kuja backs off, reverting back to his normal state. The party cautiously resumes and a flustered Kuja walks onto the balcony for some alone time. He faces the cool night breeze and his eyes wander to the sky. They stop when he notices the two moons; one is red, the other is silver. He looks away in disgust; even the heavens mock him. He hears footsteps behind him and turns around to see a certain redhead looking at him.

"Hey, Kuja," Blank leans against the stone railing of the balcony, "Sorry if I embarrassed you in there."

"You didn't," Kuja states.

"Good," Blank smiles; he looks at Kuja's Zidane costume, "Heh, nice costume. What did Zidane say about it?"

"Actually, he recommended it."

"Oh."

"Hm, your costume looks good," Kuja diverts his face so no one (Blank) will see him blush.

"Thanks," Blank smiles proudly.

"In 3rd place is..." the announcer, uh, announces, "A tie between Brianna as a chocobo and Kim as a moogle." The girls walk over to the announcer and receive bronze medals.

"I have a speech impediment! Farp!" Brianna yells.

"Kupo!" Kim adds.

"In 2nd place... Blank as a noble!"

"Well, I've gotta go," Blank smiles.

"Hm," Kuja nods, waving as Blank walks to the announcer and receives the silver medal.

"And in 1st place is... Eiko as a killer doll!" Eiko receives the gold medal as Cid and Hilda, her new adoptive parents, cheer her on.

To Be Continued.

* * *

Chapter 4! Yay! Read & review, I'm begging you! No flames! 


	5. Chapter 5: Diamond Dust and Hellfire

Home of the Heart

By: Cold Rain

Rated: PG-13 for mild violence

NOTE TO READERS: Hi, Readers! I wanted to warn you that a Zaghnol (the monster in this chapter) is the big pink boar-like monster on FFIX. The most memorable time you see one is in the Festival of the Hunt, it's worth a lot of points in that (I always win the Festival when I fight the zaghnol). Also, I added something about a Mu (the monster that looks like a blue squirrel). Extra spacing between paragraphs means scene/time transitions. Oh, and I don't own Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc.

DISCLAIMER: If you didn't read the Note to Readers here it is again: I don't own the Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc. I just own the fanfic.

CHAPTER 5: Diamond Dust and Hellfire

The party has been going well with no more incidents. Queen Garnet smiles and starts to say her goodbyes to the tired (but very happy) guests; Zidane sneaks up behind her and covers her eyes playfully. "Guess who I am?" Zidane smiles; his tail starts to happily swish back and forth.

"Hm, this is a tough one..." Garnet says, feigning ignorance about the fact that her blonde lover was the one obstructing her view, "Is it Marcus?" She smirks happily as he yanks his hands away with indignity and his tail bristles in annoyance.

"WHAAT!?" Zidane frowns, "How could you even pretend something like that!?"

"Oh, stop it Zidane," Garnet smiles, "I am just playing with you..."

"Yeah... But still! Marcus!? I'm way more suave than he is!" Zidane gives a triumphant smirk, "Don't' tell him but I'm better looking, too."

"Of course," Garnet smiles; she gives Zidane a hug and cuddles against him.

"Hm? Zidane looks at the polished marble floors and notices a large shadow looming over them.

"W-what is that!?" Eiko screams, cowering behind Cid and Hilda.

"I-it looks like some kind of monster..." Vivi stammers; he's wearing a white mage costume (and of course he's still wearing his usual hat). The monster in question looks like a Zaghnol except that it's glowing and has a rabid look on its face.

"Is that thing in Trance!?" Zidane questions, his eyes look as big as dinner plates right about now, (Monsters can't go into Trance can they!?)

"Something must have really provoked it," Marcus (dressed as an oglop) comments.

"Well, that sounds logical except for the fact that it's-" Kuja dodges the Trance Zaghnol's attack, "Attacking us instead of whoever provoked it." He casts a fire spell on its snout which made it think twice about attacking Kuja.

"Maybe whoever provoked it sent it here," Freya (in a red chocobo costume) comments; jumping to a balcony like spot so that she can use her Jump attack.

"How about we talk less and fight more?" Amarant (wearing his usual clothes) suggests, dodging the zaghnol; he swings his Claw weapon at the Zaghnol as a warning.

"We'll take care of this!" Kim says while her and Brianna take a step up and start to glow. They each raise a hand into the air; ice shards start to swirl around Kim while fire surrounds Brianna. Kim glares at the monster, "Diamond Dust!" Large ice shards cut the Zaghnol.

"Hellfire!" Brianna screams; a large fireball destroys the Zaghnol.

"You... Both of you..." Garnet stares with a stunned look on her face, "Those are attacks only Eidolons can use..."

"Well, um, you see... It's a long story, but I'll try to explain what I know," Kim says, "You see..."

"Hm?" Kuja notices that Blank runs out of the room so he follows him, (Why am I following him? The main reason for leaving the room at a time like this would be to get some privacy. Urgh, this is infuriating... I'm acting like a complete idiot!), he grimaces as he follows Blank , (It's not like I could fall in love or that I could care in any way for him or anything, so why do I follow him and get so protective over him!? Hmmm... Well, no matter what I feel, it's not an emotion that I should exhibit such stupidity over. Hm? He's stopping?) They end up outside of the large doors to the castle and now that Blank has stopped running, Kuja hesitantly touches his shoulder.

"What?" Blank turns around; his green eyes gaze at Kuja, "Oh, hi. What are you doing out here?"

"That's what I was going to ask you," Kuja replies; a sneaky smile appears on his face, it's obvious that he unwillingly plotted something for flirting with/getting attention from Blank.

"Well, um, I think I know what happened to those girls, you know, uh, how they got those attacks..."

"Really?" Kuja asks, trying to look interested, (Eidolons already got me into a lot of trouble; I could be very content if I never hear about them again.)

"Yeah, but I don't really feel like talking about it, though," Blank answers; he starts to lean back on the wall behind him and looks out at the moat, the last of the guests other than Tantalus, the three strange girls, and Zidane's friends are still there, so the gondola is being steered back to the small dock about thirteen feet from where he's standing. Blank looks at Kuja, "Hey, Zidane told me that inviting you to the party was an idea to prove to his friends that you're trustworthy enough to stay in Alexandria."

"Um," Kuja nervously tries to think of something that wouldn't be stupid to say.

"Anyway, I was really worried when you went into Trance. You could've been banished from Alexandria," Blank states.

"Oh," Kuja's face starts to turn red with embarrassment.

Blank nervously rubs the back of his head, trying to find the right words to say, "So... Zidane told me you're his long-lost bro... That means he found his parents, right?"

"Well, let's just say he found his father was on his deathbed... So, in a way, no," Kuja tries to explain, diverting his eyes; it would be so hard to explain that he killed their "father" by kicking him off a cliff...

"Oh! Sorry about that..." Blank apologizes, nervous and flustered. The last thing he wanted was to offend Kuja again, that would be just plain stupid.

"Don't worry, you didn't know," Kuja smiles at Blank, hoping that the redhead would think that that's a good sign, "How about we go back to the others now?"

"Alright," Blank says; walking next to Kuja. It seems his confidence is back.

"Oh, I think I understand now..." Garnet says; a knowing look on her face, "So, let me get this straight." She looks at Kim, "You have the attack of Shiva: Diamond Dust."

"That's right," Kim nods.

"You have the attack of Ifrit: Hellfire," Garnet states, looking at Brianna.

"Yup," Brianna nods, quickly adding, "Farp."

"And you have the attack of Leviathan: Tsunami," Garnet states, facing Alicia.

"Exactly," Alicia nods proudly, "That's each of our attacks."

"Hey, guys," Zidane smiles; Blank and Kuja are reentering the room.

"Hey," Blank smiles, walking up to Zidane; they give the customary Tantalus salute. Blank looks over at Baku (dressed as a Mu) and asks, "How are things going over here?"

"Good," Baku smiles, then looks over at Kuja, "Hey, girly-guy. Where were you guys? You been flirtin' with Blank?"

"What is wrong with you?" Kuja frowns and gives Baku an icy glare, (Did that idiot really sense something about me?)

"Sorry, but ya look so much like a girl that I thought ya might act like one, too," Baku smirks, uncaring of the fact that Kuja would be more than willing to kill him.

"That's really harsh," Kim frowns at Baku, "But I wouldn't blame him. Blank is kinda cute."

"R-really?" Blank blushes at the compliment.

"Yup," Kim smiles, "But you're not my type."

"Oh, yeah, you're not really my type either," Blank frowns and looks away; he's always met girls that weren't his type but he always got to tell them that before they had a chance to try any big flirting. This was the first time a girl told him before he could tell her; it was quite a stab to his ego.

"That was kind of harsh, too," Alicia comments.

"Can we just drop the subject?" Kuja irritably states while his face starts to turn a slight shade of pink from annoyance again.

"Oooh... You like him, don't ya?" Brianna looks at Kuja's face in amusement.

"Urgh," Kuja looks away after flashing Brianna a glare.

"Yay! Kuja loves Bla-ank! Kuja loves Bla-ank!" Brianna sings happily.

"Hey," Blank puts a hand on Brianna's shoulder, "Be nice. We should concentrate on who sent that monster after us. "

"OK..." Brianna sulks. She doesn't even notice Blank is starting to blush a slight bit.

* * *

WOOT! Alright! I made it to Chapter 5! Don't be fooled. Blank hasn't actually caught on to the fact that Kuja really does like him. Oopsies, I shouldn't have told you that... Oh, well! Read & Review! Tell me what you think would be good for the next chapter. I need some help to think of how Kuja will flirt with Blank (anything that could turn out really funny). I have to introduce Vivi's kids, too. Oh, and I have to mention Sir Fratley sometime...


	6. Chapter 6: New Complications

Home of the Heart

By: Cold Rain

Rated: PG-13 for mild violence

NOTE TO READERS: Hi, Readers! I'm so happy I've finally gotten nine reviews! My Get Backers fanfic, Bloody Crush!, seems to be more popular. But as Steiner says: "I must persevere!" O.O (gasp) Oh-no! I'm quoting Rusty! (weep, weep) Oh, well. Read & Review, please! Extra spacing between paragraphs means scene/time transitions. Oh, and I don't own Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc.

DISCLAIMER: If you didn't read the Note to Readers here it is again: I don't own the Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc. I just own the fanfic.

CHAPTER 6: New Complications

"Well, now that we understand about the Eidolon attacks that you girls possess," Freya states looking at Alicia, Kim, and Brianna, "Maybe we should figure out who sent that monster here..."

"Indeed," Steiner (with his usual armor on) chimes in, "Shouldn't we have heard it coming?"

"Yeah. For once, you're right, Rusty-" Zidane begins.

"R-RUSTY!? HOW DARE YOU!?" Steiner jumps up and down with indignity.

"-I should've heard it coming," Zidane finishes

"You know..." Eiko walks up to the group, "I thought I saw that it was hovering over the ground. That means someone used the spell Float so we wouldn't hear it coming."

"But who would do such a thing?" Garnet asks, a worried look on her face, (Does Alexandria have enemies?)

"What I want to know is how they did it," Kuja comments, "Nobody I've ever seen has strong enough power to hold up a monster that large with a Float spell. This new enemy must be strong..."

"Does this have something to do with you girls?" Beatrix looks at them, "Did someone survive when you escaped?"

"I-I don't know, but if they're strong enough to use a spell like this unseen villain did..." Kim stammers, a little afraid of the thought, "Then it could be possible, I guess..."

"Do you remember where it is? The place you were in?" Amarant interrogates.

"N-no..." Kim frowns, "I've tried my best to forget that place..."

"We all have..." Brianna adds. Blank looks at the girls and frowns; they're scared, how could asking them to go there help anyone?

Kuja looks over at Blank and notices the expression on his face, "Well, whoever our enemy is, we should prepare for his next move instead of asking these girls about somewhere they obviously shut out of their memory."

"Good idea," Blank comments, (Anything to change the subject.)

"Yeah," Baku agrees, "Me and the boys can help out."

"And I should check to see that no one has been snooping around my home," Kuja adds.

"The Desert Palace?" Zidane asks.

"Well where would you expect?" Kuja retorts.

"You shouldn't go alone," Alicia says, looking over at Blank with a devious smile.

"There's no reason to worry about me, I'll just be gone for a few days," Kuja responds, "And I'll only be gone for few days."

"Take someone with you just in case," Brianna smiles.

"Like who?" Kuja gives a frustrated glare at them.

"How about Blank?" Kim smirks.

"Huh?" Blank blinks with surprise, (Why me? Why always me?)

"Listen, you can't just force someone to g-" Kuja starts to lecture.

"Um, fine, I'll go," Blank answers, "I need a vacation, anyway."

"WOOT!" Alicia smiles while everyone stares at her dumbfounded; they have no idea what "woot" means but from the way she said it, it must be a good thing.

"Yay! There's gonna be an L-U-V fest at the Desert Palace!" Brianna smiles as the group collectively squirms.

"Let's get out of here," Blank's face starts to turn as red as his hair as he grabs Kuja's hand and makes a run for it.

"Aw, they're so cute!" Brianna waves as the two run away from her, "Have a nice trip, boys!"

When they get to the moat's gondola, Blank stops and looks at Kuja, "Where's the Desert Palace?"

"I'll show you," Kuja answers, giving a loud whistle. A silver dragon starts to descend next to them and Kuja walks over to it. Blank hesitates to get near it, so Kuja turns to him, "He won't hurt you, come on. This is the quickest way to get to my home." Kuja climbs onto the dragon's back and offers a hand to help Blank up, "Trust me." Blank looks at Kuja's hand, then at the dragon, then back at Kuja's hand.

"Alright," Blank walks up next to the dragon, takes Kuja's hand, and climbs onto the dragon's back and sits behind Kuja.

"Silver Dragon," Kuja says in a demanding voice, "Take us home." The dragon then flaps its wings and jumps into the air, flying high above Alexandria's castle. Kuja turns towards the startled redhead and offers him some advice, "You might want to hold on."

"Y-yeah, OK..." Blank responds as Kuja turns around to see that the dragon is following the right path. Blank looks at Kuja's back, (Hold on where?) He looks helplessly while trying to decide what wouldn't offend the silver-haired man, "Ummm..."

"Here," Kuja gives an exasperated sigh while grabbing Blank's hands. Kuja places them on his hips and squeezes Blank's hands to signal "hold on right here, idiot".

"Oh," Blank responds, a little flustered at his stupidity, "Um, sorry."

"That's alright," Kuja responds while secretly smirking, (Soon I'll be home and I'll show you how I really feel... Urgh, damn, now I'm thinking about it again!)

* * *

Chapter 6 is done. Yay! I like it. Please Read & Review! Don't be afraid to give your opinion! 


	7. Chapter 7: Home Sweet Home

Home of the Heart

By: Cold Rain

Rated: PG-13 for mild violence

NOTE TO READERS: Hi, Readers! I got done with Chapter 7, yay for me. Read & Review, please! Extra spacing between paragraphs means scene/time transitions. Oh, and I don't own Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc.

DISCLAIMER: If you didn't read the Note to Readers here it is again: I don't own the Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc. I just own the fanfic.

CHAPTER 7: Home Sweet Home

The silver dragon starts to descend once it reaches the northeastern edge of the Outer Continent. Blank looks down at the ground but all he sees is jagged mountains surrounding a desert with swirling sandpits with no buildings in sight, he frowns, "Kuja, I don't see anything here."

"Of course not," Kuja replies, "It's hidden." The silver dragon gently lands on the sand covered ground and Kuja effortlessly slides off and looks up at Blank with his blue eyes; he holds up his arms as if to catch Blank in his arms when he jumps off of the dragon, "Jump down."

"I can get down myself," Blank replies nervously.

"No when you're so afraid of him," Kuja states, a little annoyed.

"Alright," Blank jumps down and stumbles into Kuja's arms, the young thief smiles nervously, "Um, I guess I'm not very good at this after all."

"Yes, I guess not," Kuja smirks while Blank stands up.

"So, your house is hidden? Where?"

"Right here," Kuja points out, looking at the sandpit in front of his feet.

"Huh?" Blank blinks in confusion at the sandpit.

"Let me show you," Kuja closes his eyes and a small gust of wind starts to surround him; he opens his eyes, which are now glowing with a faint blue light, "Open." A whole appears in the center of the sandpit revealing what looks like a stone slab covered in runes. Kuja walks up in front of it, bends down, and touches the center, which causes it to disappear and reveal a ladder going underground. His eyes stop glowing and he motions Blank to climb down it. Blank immediately climbs down the ladder and waits for Kuja who starts to climb down the ladder after Blank reaches the bottom. "Be careful, only people who possess strong magic can confidently walk around this place alone. No matter what, don't wander around by yourself."

"Alright," Blank nods in agreement, "Where should I stay?"

"Well, actually. I don't have guests, so I don't have a guest room," Kuja frowns, (Why didn't I think about this more before bringing anyone here!?)

"Oh. Well we can figure that out later," Blank comments, "How about you show me where your room is?"

"Alright," the silver-haired man leads the thief through the Desert Palace and stops in a room that resembles a bedroom.

"Hm, interesting..." he looks at around the room and decides to walk around and stare at everything, "Well, this is different than I'm used to, but at least I have a chance to take off this annoying costume."

"Hm?" Kuja gives a surprised stare as Blank starts to unbutton the jacket of his costume, takes it off, and places it on Kuja's bed. He then unbuttons and removes the shirt, also placing that on the bed. All that's left is the pants which he quickly removes, revealing his normal outfit.

"It feels really good to get out of that stuffy thing," Blank smiles as he puts on his headband that covers his eyes.

"You were wearing your normal clothes under your costume?"

"Well of course I was," the redhead smiles again, "What did you think I was doing? Stripping or something?"

"Well, no. But that was a little strange," he says, (Actually, I did expect you to strip and now I'm very mad. You were supposed to strip!)

"Heh, well don't worry, no matter what I'm forced to wear, I hide this outfit under it."

"Is it alright if I ask you a question?" he diverts his eyes a little, this will be challenging to word correctly...

"Um, OK, I guess so."

"Well, why do you have scars that make you look... um... the way you look? I mean, well, you look like someone has, uh, sewn you together." Blank immediately frowns at Kuja's question.

"I don't want to talk about it," Blank growls angrily, walking towards the bedroom door.

"Where are you going? It's dangerous to wander around!" the redhead pretends not to hear the worried Genome and leaves the room angrily slamming the door behind him. Kuja stares at the door and questions himself about what to do, (He is strong, but what if he's not strong enough to survive through any battles here? Blank...)

* * *

Chapter 7 is done. I made sort of a cliffhanger... Please Read & Review! Don't be afraid to give your opinion!


	8. Chapter 8: Investigation

Home of the Heart

By: Cold Rain

Rated: PG-13 for mild violence

NOTE TO READERS: Hi, Readers! Here's Chapter 8. I hope you like it. Please like it? Read & Review, please! Extra spacing between paragraphs means scene/time transitions. Oh, and I don't own Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc.

DISCLAIMER: If you didn't read the Note to Readers here it is again: I don't own the Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc. I just own the fanfic.

CHAPTER 8: Investigation

"Do ya really think we should've left Blank with girly-guy?" Baku asks.

"Yup, they're cute!" Brianna smiles; she's wearing a white cap and an outfit that looks a lot like the jacket that Garnet wore when she met Zidane. Obviously everyone changed back into their normal clothes by now and they've decided to ask around for information.

"Well, I'm not sure about that," Marcus says, "But I bet Bro is OK."

"And do you really think Toot-" Baku gets cut off by Marcus.

"It's Tot," Marcus states for about the eighth time.

"-Can handle being in charge of Alexandria for a while?" Baku continues.

"He taught me everything I know," Garnet replies, "We can trust him to do a good job."

"Well I'm a little more worried about finding some information," Kim states; she's wearing a yellow bandanna and a green and yellow outfit, "But I agree with Bri; Blank is kinda cute."

"I thought you said he wasn't your type," Alicia smirks deviously; she's still wearing her armor because it wasn't a costume.

"He isn't my type," Kim states, a little embarrassed, "But he is cute. Anyway, let's try to get some information."

"Hey!" Kohel, one of the Pluto Knights, yells as he runs up to the group while Blutzen, another Pluto Knight, follows behind him, "Information from Lindblum!"

"What is it?" Brianna asks.

"Over in Lindblum there were sightings of suspicious characters," Blutzen states.

"And?" Alicia asks, a little annoyed at how vague that information is.

"There were four of them, male, and they each had a certain strange marking on their right arm," Blutzen adds to his statement, trying to ignore that Kohel is too busy trying to flirt with Brianna to help, "Civilians thought they heard them talking about Alexandria and some troublesome girls."

Some frost starts to form on the ground around Kim as she glares and replies, "Oh, I'll show them trouble if they dare to come here..." The frost melts as Brianna nods in agreement with that idea.

"I thought we took care of them last year, though," Alicia states.

"Well, I guess they survived," Brianna says, "I mean, we never made sure they were dead or anything."

"Yeah," Kim frowns, "I just hope they don't find Blank and Kuja while they're not here. I don't think even Kuja is strong enough to fight even one of those guys."

"Well, let's not worry about it," Eiko suggests, "If they hear us talk about it, they'll try to do it, right?"

"Yeah, you're right," Brianna smiles while knocking out Kohel for trying to flirt with her.

"Freya!" a familiar voice calls from a roof.

"Sir Fratley," Freya smiles at him as he jumps down from the roof and faces her.

"I decided to look in Lindblum as well and I found something very interesting," Fratley states, "I talked to an artist in the Theater District and asked him if he could paint a picture of the suspicious characters. He couldn't remember exactly what they looked like, but he remembered the marking on their right arms." He pulls out a piece of paper with what looked like a strange sigil and shows it to everyone.

"That look like bad omen," Quina states, "I no like it."

"I remember that marking," Kim comments, "Those are definently the guys."

* * *

-Flashback-

A short brunette landed on the ground, she was soaking wet and started choking and coughing; a man with a strange marking on his right arm knelt in front of her and he said, "Are you OK? Um, Happy Birthday?" It was too dark to see well, so she couldn't see what he looked like but she had a feeling that he was smiling..

"Where am I?" the girl looked around, blinking in confusion, "Who am I?" The guy hands her the bandanna he was wearing and she noticed he had red hair.

"You don't have a name, yet. Hm, I'll name you Kim," he smiled, "This place will be your home."

"Hey! Don't name her! You'll start to care about what happens to her!" another man with the same marking glared then looked at Kim, "From now on, you'll be called number 13-G, got it?" Kim noticed a blonde and brunette behind him, they glared angrily at him while he wasn't looking. There were two guys, too, but they didn't glare at the guy and they also had the strange mark on their arms.

Kim (a.k.a. 13-G) hid behind the nice guy and nodded yes; the nice guy smiled and whispered, 'It's OK, he's a jerk a lot of the time but he means well. Anyway, I'm still calling you Kim. I like that name.'

"Why is he a jerk?" Kim asks out loud, which wasn't a good idea.

The mean guy turned around furiously and screamed, "Insolent little wretch!" He then slapped her on the face, her first feeling of pain and anger. She choked down a little sob and tried to keep him from seeing the tears in her eyes from the stinging feeling on her face. She might have just been born, but her pride wouldn't allow her to cry in front of that jerk. He narrows his eyes at her, "I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it just as easily!"

"Hey-" the nice guy started to say.

"That's it!" the blonde ran in front of Kim and glared at the guy and screamed angrily, "I can't take this anymore! You treat us worse than dirt and I won't put up with it anymore!"

The brunette ran up next to Kim and the blonde and glared at the mean guy, "Yeah!"

"Tsunami!"

"Hellfire!"

When the dust and debris cleared, the three guys in front of them were on the ground, the blonde girl narrowed her eyes, "They're as good as dead." Kim looked over at the nice guy who had been next to her the whole time; she could now see he had blue eyes, too.

The brunette glared at the survivor, "Kim, you get to handle this one."

"But-" Kim started to object.

"He'll want revenge if you don't destroy him now! Just use the attack you feel inside," the blonde explained.

"O-OK..." she held her hand up and ice shards surrounded her, she looked at the redhead while a tear dripped down her cheek, "I'm so sorry." Then ice shards cut him painfully and they left him for dead if he wasn't dead already.

* * *

-The Present-

"Hey," Brianna says, waving a hand in front of Kim's face "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Kim blinks, exiting from her flashback.

"You were thinking about him again, weren't you?" Alicia asks.

"Of course," Kim frowns, "I never wanted to hurt him."

"I think you have a crush on him," Alicia smirks, "That's why you think Blank is cute; he reminds you of him."

"N-no, I don't!" Kim blushes, turning away from them, "I-I just feel guilty, that's all! Anyway, let's go to Lindblum!"

* * *

Alright, here's Chapter 8! Sorry it took so long! Please Read & Review! Don't be afraid to give your opinion!


	9. Chapter 9: Something's Lurking Here

Home of the Heart

By: Cold Rain

Rated: PG-13 for mild violence

NOTE TO READERS: Hi, Readers! Alright, alright! Here's the chapter with Kuja! Are you guys happy now!? (flail, flail) Read & Review! Extra spacing between paragraphs means scene/time transitions. Oh, and I don't own Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc.

DISCLAIMER: If you didn't read the Note to Readers here it is again: I don't own the Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc. I just own the fanfic.

CHAPTER 9: Something's Lurking Here

(Man, I really overreacted. Kuja didn't even know that that was a bad question to ask me... Maybe I should turn back now, he told me not to wander around,) Blank looks around, he had walked around aimlessly to blow off some steam and now he doesn't know which way is "back" anymore. He looks around to note his location; he's on a balcony, there's a candle nearby, and a demon statue is jutting out of the wall next to him. There's another balcony spaced about three feet from the one he's on. That one has a strange painting, a candle, some kind of claw that looked like it used to hold a crystal ball or something on a railing, and an angel statue jutting out of the wall. Blank turns around when he hears a noise, a Koerl is behind him. He glares at it and pulls out his sword, today just isn't his day, and comments, "Tch. Great, just great. You want trouble? Cause you just found it." The Koerl immediately casts a Fira spell at the redhead; Blank is OK, but that was quite a bit of damage to take. He slashes the creature, giving it a little damage, but it's obvious that it's higher level than him. "Kuja, where are you?"

* * *

In another section of the Desert Palace, Kuja is dressed in his "normal" outfit and looking for Blank. As his blue eyes scan the hallway, he calls, "Blank! Where are you? If you can hear me, then please answer! This place is dangerous to roam by yourself!" No answer, either Blank is not here, in trouble, still angry, or... no, he's stronger than that; he won't die that easily, he's stubborn. The silver-haired Genome walks up a flight of stairs, into the library, and through the stained-glass "wall/window" and stops in front of a moogle that he can't remember the name of. The moogle, of course, lets out a "Kupo!" in surprise that Kuja is here; it's been a year since Kuja vacated this place.

"Have you seen a redhead that looks like he was sewn together? He's carrying a sword, he's wearing brown leather, and his eyes are covered," Kuja inquires, looking a lot more impatient than he sounds.

"Kupo! Yes, I have!" the moogle replies, its red pom-pom bouncing as it jumps up and down, "I asked him if he wanted some potions because this place is dangerous or if he wanted me to record that he was here, but he ignored me! He went by just a minute ago; he can't be far, kupo!"

"Good," Kuja smiles, now walking past the moogle and into the next room, the room with the angel and demon statues. The sight he saw then was very surprising; Blank was fighting a monster, and technically he looks like he's losing (Blank is starting to bleed quite a bit). Kuja didn't expect to actually witness a fight; he walks up to where he can get a better view and calls out to the redhead, "Blank, you really had me worried. Do you need any help?" Both Blank and the Koerl notice the silver-haired man watching and the Koerl decides that beating up the redhead is boring and it's time to beat up the new guy. The Koerl immediately sits up in a position that gave away that it was planning on hitting Kuja with its Laser attack.

"Kuja! Look out! It's in an attack position! Run!" Blank starts to run towards Kuja as the Koerl starts its attack. Kuja throws his arms in front of him to shield himself as the blinding flash heads towards him. Blank jumps in front of the disoriented Genome and bounces the blast away with his sword blade (that counts as the equivalent of a "miss") and starts to glow.

Kuja stares in amazement at the redhead and murmurs, "Trance... You're in Trance..."

"No one should dare to even try to hurt any of my friends," Blank glares at the Koerl and raises his arm up, sparks crackling in the air around him, "Judgment Bolt." A bolt of lighting strikes the Koerl from out of thin air and destroys it completely.

Kuja looks even more shocked; Blank used an Eidolon's attack, that won't help Kuja win him over, "Blank..."

"Are you OK, Kuja?" Blank asks, reverting back to his normal form.

"Yes, I'm alright," Kuja smiles, (Blank did that to protect me? Amazing...)

"So, um," Blank blushes awkwardly at the thought of his own question, "Do you normally wear an outfit like that?"

* * *

Here's a chapter with Kuja! Be happy! All of you! Oh, and please Read & Review! Don't be afraid to give your opinion! 


	10. Chapter 10: Where Good and Evil Collide

Home of the Heart

By: Cold Rain

Rated: PG-13 for mild violence

NOTE TO READERS: Hi, Readers! Wow, this one reveals more of the plot. I'm so proud of myself! (smile) Read & Review! Extra spacing between paragraphs means scene/time transitions. Oh, and I don't own Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc.

DISCLAIMER: If you didn't read the Note to Readers here it is again: I don't own the Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc. I just own the fanfic.

CHAPTER 10: Where Good and Evil Collide

Lindblum, the most technologically advanced nation of Gaia and the home of Cid, Hilda, and Eiko. Zidane walks into the Tantalus troupe's hideout in the Theater District, leans against the wall, faces the group, and asks, "Where should we begin our search?"

"Well, they probably split up to get more information on us, but maybe we should start in-" Brianna starts, getting cut off by Kim.

"The Business District!" Kim exclaims.

Brianna frowns at the interruption, but then smirks, "You just wanna try to find Reinheit, don't you?"

"Umm..." the short brunette blushes and diverts her eyes.

"Who is that?" Freya inquires, "I haven't heard any of you speak that name before."

"That's the name of one of the four men we're looking for," Alicia answers, "Brianna and I think Kim had a crush on him; he has a strange marking on his arm like the other three guys but he has red hair and blue eyes. The other three are Kurios, blonde hair and brown eyes, Ereignis, black hair and red eyes, and Saphir," Alicia acts like the word "Saphir" is poisonous and immediately makes a sickened face after she says it, "He has light blue hair and dark blue eyes. Now you know their names and what they look like. Anyway, I bet Reinheit would go to the Business District, he loves to be anywhere fun and everyone is still celebrating the heroics you guys went through to save Gaia."

"Well, then we should search there first," Amarant states, turning towards the exit of the hideout, "Let's get there quick and try to find him."

* * *

"You mean you normally wear THAT!?" Blank blushes a crimson red to match his hair.

"Is there something wrong with it?" Kuja asks, turning 360 Degrees to feel if anything was wrong with it. Nope, it felt normal to him.

"U-um, I, uh..." Blank's eyes dart from side to side as he tries to find the right words; luckily, since his eyes are covered, Kuja doesn't notice, (Why do I always trap myself in a corner like this!? I better think of something to say fast!) Therefore, Blank immediately decides to say, "Um, no, nothing's wrong. You look really hot!"

"I do?" Kuja smirks proudly at Blank.

"Um," Blank decides it's best just to nod "yes" and change the subject, "So, I guess since you asked me a question I didn't like, I can ask that since you're Zidane's bro then you have a tail, too?" (Ack! Bad question! That is so stupid!)

"Hmph, yes, I have one," Kuja states, letting his tail move into plain view from the fabric on the back of his outfit, "I just find it humiliating."

"Don't get humiliated about that," Blank replies, pointing at the marks on his skin that look like stitch marks, "No matter how hard I try, I can't hide this."

"I don't think it's that bad," Kuja comments, tracing the "stitch mark" on Blank's chest that curves up onto his left shoulder.

Blank smirks and gives Kuja's tail a tug to make him drop the subject, "Whatever."

* * *

"How do you think the boys are doing?" Brianna smiles.

"I bet they're having lots of fun," Alicia winks.

"What do you mean?" Zidane asks curiously.

"Of all the people here, I definitely wouldn't have expected you to be so dense," Alicia gives him a hopeless smile.

"Guys, it's him," Kim gasps, surprised to see that Reinheit is really still alive and runs towards him happily, "Reinheit! It's me! Kim! Do you remember me?"

* * *

Sorry, no butt whoopin' for Kuja, but I hope you're happier with this chappie. Sorry it's short, but Read & Review! 


	11. Chapter 11: Reunions and Minced Words

Home of the Heart

By: Cold Rain

Rated: PG-13 for mild violence

NOTE TO READERS: Hi, Readers! Well, I've decided to try to tell about both event areas (Desert Palace and Lindblum) in the same chapter (no more alternating chapters unless I have some sort of writer's block). Read & Review! Extra spacing between paragraphs means scene/time transitions. Oh, and I don't own Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc.

DISCLAIMER: If you didn't read the Note to Readers here it is again: I don't own the Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc. I just own the fanfic.

CHAPTER 11: Reunions and Minced Words

Kim runs towards Reinheit happily as he turns towards her with a shocked expression. It's been a year since the incident happened and no one expected a reunion so soon. Kim's only a few yards from him, so she smiles and calls to him again, "I thought you were dead! I was so sad!" The glint of a metallic object whizzes past her face, cutting her left cheek and makes her stop in her tracks from surprise only two yards away from Reinheit.

Alicia glares at the sight and sighs, "I should've known things wouldn't be simple..."

* * *

"Listen," Blank smiles, still relieved that that monster wasn't able to hurt Kuja, "I had heard that a while back, um, during the sh-, I mean... events that happened last year; you were after Garnet's Eidolons. Obviously, I can use an Eidolon's attack, even though it puts a lot of strain on me to even try. Anyway, that's really why I got mad at you a while ago; this might sound seriously stupid, but I was worried that you wanted to... well, use me, and it really made me... frustrated to think that you would do that, I guess."

"I used to be after the power of the Eidolons, but I realized the stupidity of my plan; I gave up about a year ago. I don't want to use you or anyone else with that kind of power; I'm powerful enough to live by myself, anyway, and that's what matters," Kuja replies.

"Yeah, sure, by yourself," Blank almost frowns at the thought of the way that sounds.

"Um, maybe I should go check the trap room," Kuja suggests.

Blank looks around the room and decides that he would still be lost if he stays there, "I'll come, too."

Right before they leave the room, Kuja casts a "Firaga" spell, killing a monster that had tried to sneak up on him, "Let's go."

* * *

"Saphir," Brianna glares angrily, "Why are you here, too?"

"To protect Reinheit," Saphir answers, his eyes wandering to the redhead next to him; the way he said it, it sounded like it should be so obvious and then states, "13-G over there had tried to kill him. Not only that, but 24-D and you, 16-E, tried to kill Ereignis, Kurios, and I. Too bad for you that we all survived."

"I'm not 16-E anymore," Brianna growls, "My name is Brianna!"

"You named yourself, hm?" Saphir smirks, "How cute."

"Leave us alone!" the puddles around Alicia start to ripple, as if from a tremor and a few water drops from them start to float in the air around her, "We deserve names, unlike you! I'm Alicia now!"

"Kim," Reinheit still looks amazed to see her, "You still have my bandanna... Um, your name is still 'Kim', right?"

"Mm-hm," Kim blushes while nodding her head 'yes', "I like that name... and I'm sorry I hurt you. I never really wanted to do anything like that."

"I know," Reinheit smiles.

"Hey! You're actually falling for that pack of lies!?" Saphir frowns, "She tried to destroy you!"

"Only because we made her! We were scared because we thought that if we didn't kill Ereignis, Kurios, and Reinheit, they would try to avenge your death! You wouldn't deserve them wanting to avenge you, though," Alicia retorts.

"Is it a fight you're looking for?" Saphir growls.

"I guess so..." Alicia challenges.

"Well, then come to our old home, you remember where it is, don't you? We'll be waiting," the blue-haired man smirks, disappearing into the crowd, "You have three months to prepare."

Kim frowns, of all the people to survive through the attack Saphir did, and asks, "Reinheit? Are you leaving, too?"

"No," Reinheit smiles walking up to the group, "I won't leave."

"Saphir will get mad," Brianna comments.

"No, don't worry. Saphir has a bit of an... obsession with me, I think," Reinheit shudders at the thought, "But anyway, he won't hurt me, he'll try to put the blame on you guys, but I won't let him."

* * *

"This is the trap room?" Blank glances around the room and comments, "It sort of looks like a torture chamber." The most obvious object in the room is a table, human shaped, with straps where the wrists, ankles, and waist are located; spikes line the area right over the head area as a strange decoration. It really intimidates Blank.

"It is. I don't use it, though," Kuja says, he hasn't actually use it except almost dropping some of Zidane's friends into a lava pit underneath the rooms he locked them in while Zidane and his other friends were in Oliviert, "No one seems to have been in here, either. Good. We should probably find somewhere for you to sleep, it's almost dark. Let's go."

* * *

Wow, Chapter 11 is done already. Is it good? Read & Review! 


	12. Chapter 12: How Enlightening

Home of the Heart

By: Cold Rain

Rated: PG-13 for mild violence

NOTE TO READERS: Hi, Readers! Sorry, this took so long. I haven't had much time to write my fanfics lately.Anyway, I'm trying to tell about both event areas (Desert Palace and Lindblum) in the same chapter (no more alternating chapters unless I have some sort of writer's block). Read & Review! Extra spacing between paragraphs means scene/time transitions. Oh, and I don't own Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc.

DISCLAIMER: If you didn't read the Note to Readers here it is again: I don't own the Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc. I just own the fanfic.

CHAPTER 12: How Enlightening…

"Hm… What if I sleep on the ground with the pillow and you sleep on the bed with the blanket?" Blank ponders aloud.

"I'm not really sure if that's fair, making a guest sleep on a marble floor, do you?" Kuja replies.

"Well, how about if I use the blanket, too?" Blank suggests, "I'm used to sleeping on hard floors occasionally. It comes with being a thief."

The silver-haired Genome gives a thoughtful look for a moment, then smiles, "Well…"

Reinheit smiles and gives Kim, Brianna, and Alicia each a reunion hug (it was obvious Kim got a bigger hug, as she had to ask him not to squeeze her so hard), "I'm glad to see you guys again. You know, Alicia, Ereignis really misses someone sane to talk to; and Brianna, Kurios misses playing pranks with you. Neither one of them admit it because of the incident, though," the redhead adds, trying not to make them expect forgiveness too soon.

"I'm surprised that even you would forgive us," Brianna replies, "Even if you are the most understanding of the sub-Eidolons, what we did would be hard for any of them to forgive."

Vivi made a motion that could be translated into raising an eyebrow, "What's a sub-Eidolon? I've never heard of one before…"

"It's when an Eidolon creates a subordinate with powers similar to an Eidolon. Each of them have an Eidolon attack for their respective personality," Alicia explains.

"In other words, we're dealing with the lackeys of Eidolons?" Amarant inquires.

"Yeah, that's right. We became independent from the Eidolons a long time ago, though," Reinheit replies, "Since we're immortal, they think we'll get bored and come crawling back to serve them. Technically the girls just repeated history."

"Wait, if you guys are immortal, then there's no way to defeat them or you, right?" Zidane asks, hoping that he didn't mean what he said.

"We, may be immortal, but we can still get killed. It's just that we don't die of natural causes," the redhead answers.

"That is definite relief," Garnet comments, "Now all we need is a plan. Let us go back to Lindblum and start planning."

* * *

Wow, Chapter 12 is a mini-chapter… I've only written puny mini-chapters for two of my fanfics. That's sad… Oh well, Read & Review! 


	13. Chapter 13: An Apology

NOTE TO READERS: Sorry everyone, but I can't finish this story. All of you (most likely) know that I haven't updated in a while (and have yelled at me to complete it). Really annoying stuff such as groundings happened and, of course, writer's block and such.

I feel bad that I put so much into this and can't finish it, so I'm going to allow people to continue where the story left off if they're up to it. Just give credit where credit is due. If anyone moans about it, point them here.

Yet again, I apologize for the lack of closure. I effectively feel like a jerk that I didn't even write this sooner.

I might make other fanfics sometime, but I'll make sure not to let anything get in the way if I do.


End file.
